Great find today-Rifle mount bottom bracket

[sam_w]

I went round to Jimmy's in Livermore to look at his group of Things.

I got what I was going to get in Germany next year.
A bottom bracket for the rifle mount.

I also scored two original bungees to hold down the rear seat panel uprights. I guess that a rusty German Thing was not in the California smog so the rubber was not rotted.
I already have the top bracket so now I can go and get a plastic toy rifle and maybe get stopped!




Here is my old posting of the parts manual and my top bracket.

_________________
63 singlecab
73 thingster
Vanagon sold! camping in tent

[Semper_Dad]

Nice find
_________________
74 VW Thing - Walküre
78 GMC Motorhome - Valhalla
"Patina" my ass, that's rust
Recovering Split Bus Addict
World 181 Registry Map: http://www.zeemaps.com/394427 Gitm registared boys!
Officially, there are only 99 181s in the world

[kuhl 181]

Sam,
Check out this site for K98's you can build for $50, they also have MG34's & MG42's
I built a MG 34 for my 181 and at 10 ft you can't tell it's not real.

http://www.cushmanpaintball.com/replicaK98.html

[sam_w]

What was the NATO rifle that was in the mount in the 70's?

I believe that the K98 was a WWII rifle, not right for a type 181, but would look really impressive.

_________________
63 singlecab
73 thingster
Vanagon sold! camping in tent

[Fun 181]

Probably the FN FAL (7.62x51mm NATO round). The FN has been the weapon of choice by many foreign countries from the 70s to today.


_________________

[Fun 181]

From the Samba gallery...

Not positive on this model. I'm guessing an early model FN FAL.


SilverThing identifies this as a HK G3...


I'm going with the FN FAL as the de facto weapon used in a 1970's era, european military type 181.
_________________

[Captain Spalding]

Zombie hunters on the Samba Thing board? Who knew? Anyway, I have a rifle mount. I haven't mounted it yet, but I've given it a test fit with double stick tape and several long guns. I don't think it would accommodate that FN FAL with the carry handle attached.

When the gun is in the mount as pictured, the top of it is very close to the bodywork. If the gun has a high capacity magazine, and is to be clipped into the mount with the magazine attached, it must be placed in the mount sights first, and there would only be room for the most inconspicuous optics, and no carry handle. This is sad, because my eyesight isn't what it used to be, and most of my rifles are fitted with optics. It's possible to put the weapon in the opposite way, with the magazine well towards the bodywork. In that case, a scope could be accommodated. Of course in that case there could not be a high capacity magazine in the mag well, but no tears shed there, because I can't legally drive the car with the magazine in the rifle anyway, unless I'm on private property, in which case I'd be hunting, and then the high-cap mag wouldn't be an issue. Even with the magazine removed, if the rifle has a pistol grip, it won't work inserted into the mount mag well down. Short barrel carbines may be, well, too short, even with a collapsable buttstock fully extended.

BTW, I think these cars may sometimes have been fitted with four sets of rifle mounts. If seen photos of the mounts placed so the rifle would be on the floor next to the doors. I know if I were driving that vehicle somewhere where I needed a weapon, I would want the mount close enough that I could reach the weapon easily from the driver's seat.

[Van-go108]

"Zombie Hunters" LOL. That kills me.

Actually some valid points here. We live in a "War Zone" here at the moment due to the border stuff in Arizona/New Mexico. Hand guns stuff in nicely but, I perfer a rifle anyday. Where else would you stash one? I like the floor idea.
_________________
"Okay, so there's 6 beers and 5 of us. You know what this means don't you? 4 of you are going to have to leave."

1983 1/2 Wasserbroken Vanagon(storage shed)
1973 Thing
1957 Continental Mark II Click to view image

[Fun 181]

[Doc*181]

Belgian quality...
_________________
Thing stuff:
http://vw181.skynetblogs.be/

[Fun 181]

[Doc*181]

[surfarii]

off topic

[Captain Spalding]

[Fun 181]

[Captain Spalding]

[yellow73kubel]

The standard German rifle of that time would have been the Heckler and Koch G3, which is shown in that manual picture. I believe that is what the gun mount would be designed for. NATO used the G3/HK91, FAL, and US M14 interchangeably during that time period.

There are plenty of CETME rifles floating around if you want something affordable and semi-automatic that will look the part. The real HK G3 tends to sell for well over the price of your average Thing.

[surfarii]

Off topic

[kubelmann]

Funny you found those in CA because I had those same parts set aside for you when you came here to visit this summer. Only my parts are not rusty... Still have the rifle butt mount available and lots of other OG Thing parts.. My new production run of OG Thing door seals with the original manufacturer just arrived from Germany and my my are they beautiful. These are not NOS but truly new OG parts. Both my Things are getting a full set. (This means that two full sets of good used door seals will also now be available.

Although this is not verified I have "heard" that eating at the International House of Pancakes tend to leave you "Belchin Zombie Waffles" is that the same as Belgian Zombie Waffles?

[Captain Spalding]

Just as an FYI, here are some photos of the rifle mounts set up to position the rifle on the floor between the driver's seat and the door.